Any time you start ranking the greatest players in the history of a program like South Carolina, somebody is going to get mad.
That’s part of the fun.
You’re comparing different eras, different positions and players who were asked to do completely different things. But when I look at talent, production, impact on the program and what these guys meant when they wore the Garnet and Black, these are my Top 10 South Carolina Gamecocks of all time.
1. George Rogers — RB
This one is pretty easy for me. Rogers won the 1980 Heisman Trophy, rushed for 5,204 career yards and finished his career with 27 100-yard rushing games. He remains the standard every great South Carolina player gets measured against.
2. Sterling Sharpe — WR
Before there was Alshon Jeffery, there was Sterling Sharpe. He finished his Carolina career with 169 catches for 2,497 yards and 17 touchdowns and was a two-time All-American. His No. 2 was retired while he was still at South Carolina. Simply one of the most talented football players ever to wear the Garnet and Black.
3. Connor Shaw — QB
Maybe nobody on this list better represents winning than Connor Shaw. He quarterbacked South Carolina during three consecutive 11-win seasons, went a perfect 17-0 as a starter at Williams-Brice Stadium and finished with a school-record 27 wins as a starting quarterback. When the game was on the line, this was the guy I wanted with the football.
4. Jadeveon Clowney — DE
Clowney may have been the most physically gifted football player ever to put on a South Carolina uniform. A two-time first-team All-American, he was the 2012 SEC Defensive Player of the Year after recording a school-record 23.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks that season. At his best, offenses had to build their entire game plan around finding No. 7.
5. Alshon Jeffery — WR
Jeffery was uncoverable at times. His 2010 season — 88 catches for 1,517 yards — remains one of the great seasons by a South Carolina receiver, and he finished his three-year career with 3,042 receiving yards. He was also a major piece of the team that finally broke through and won the SEC East.
6. Eric Norwood — LB
If we’re talking about defensive production, Norwood absolutely belongs in this conversation. He finished his career as South Carolina’s all-time leader with 29 sacks and 54.5 tackles for loss and became the first Gamecock to earn first-team All-SEC honors from the coaches three consecutive years. He was relentless coming off the edge.
7. Stephon Gilmore — CB
Gilmore stepped onto campus and immediately looked like he belonged in the SEC. He started from the beginning of his career, earned All-SEC and All-America recognition and helped the Gamecocks reach their first SEC Championship Game. He eventually became the 10th overall selection in the NFL Draft.
8. John Abraham — DE/LB
Abraham is one of the more remarkable stories on this list because he played only one season of high school football. He came to South Carolina and led the Gamecocks in sacks all four years, finishing with 23.5 before becoming the 13th overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft. That’s one hell of a rise.
9. Marcus Lattimore — RB
If injuries had not intervened, we might be talking about Lattimore much higher on this list. Even with his career cut short, he rushed for 2,677 yards and established school records with 38 rushing touchdowns and 41 total touchdowns. More than the numbers, Lattimore was the centerpiece of the team when South Carolina football reached heights it had never reached before.
10. Rick Sanford — DB
Sanford is a name younger Gamecock fans need to know. An All-American defensive back, he became the first South Carolina player ever selected in the first round of the NFL Draft when New England took him 25th overall in 1979. He was one of the great defensive players of his era.
Just Outside the Top 10
And this is where the arguments start.
South Carolina has had too many outstanding players to get everybody into ten spots. Guys like Steve Wadiak, Melvin Ingram, Sidney Rice, Kenny McKinley, Robert Brooks, Todd Ellis and Harold Green all deserve to be part of the conversation.
But if I’m picking ten players who combined talent, production, winning and their overall impact on South Carolina football, this is my ten.
Now tell me where I’m wrong.
Because with Gamecock fans, I already know you will.
